Dallas Stars Blog

James Neal gets spot on All-Star roster; Could he play with Jamie Benn again?

NEW YORK — Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal will replace Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin in the NHL All-Star game on Sunday.

Ovechkin backed out of the game after he was issued a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on an opponent.

Neal leads the Penguins with 27 goals and is second on the team with 47 points. Neal leads the NHL with 210 shots and is tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals. The Penguins have won nine consecutive games and are 17-3-2 overall when Neal scores a goal.

The All-Star fantasy draft will be held on Thursday in Ottawa. It will divide the All-Stars into two teams: Team Alfredsson, led by Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and Team Chara, featuring Boston captain Zdeno Chara.

-Associated Press

Here is the NHL’s press release:

PENGUINS’ NEAL ADDED TO 2012 NHL ALL-STAR ROSTER

NEW YORK (January 25, 2012) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal has been added to the NHL All-Star roster for the 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend in Ottawa Jan. 26-29, the National Hockey League announced today.

Neal replaces Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.

Neal began the regular season with nine goals in his first 12 games and has ranked among NHL goal-scoring leaders since. The 24-year-old Whitby, Ont., native has 27 goals, tied with Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews for second place in the race for the Maurice ‘Rocket’
Richard Trophy. Neal tallied the 100th goal of his NHL career — and matched his single-season career high set with the Dallas Stars in 2009-10
– in the Penguins’ 3-2 shootout victory at St. Louis Tuesday. Neal leads the NHL with 210 shots and is tied for the League lead with 13 power-play goals. The Penguins have won nine consecutive games and are 17-3-2 overall when Neal scores a goal.

Neal earned his second invitation to NHL All-Star Weekend, having skated for the NHL Rookies against the Sophomores in the 2009 YoungStars game at Montreal. He will be making his NHL All-Star Game debut.

The 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft TM will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26 to divide the All-Stars and Rookies into two teams — Team Alfredsson, led by captain Daniel Alfredsson of the All-Star host Ottawa Senators and his assistant captain Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers; and Team Chara, featuring captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and his assistant captain Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The draft will be televised live on TSN and RDS in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States at 8 p.m., ET, from the Hilton Lac Leamy in Gatineau-Ottawa, Quebec.

Attached: All-Stars/Rookies available for selection by Team Alfredsson and Team Chara in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft TM:

All-Stars/Rookies Available For Selection
In 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft TM

The 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend comes to Ottawa, Canada’s capital, Jan.
26 through Jan. 29. The excitement begins with the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Player Fantasy DraftTM on Thursday, Jan. 26, televised live on TSN and RDS in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States at 8 p.m., ET, from the Hilton Lac Leamy in Gatineau-Ottawa, Quebec.

The players take the ice in the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills CompetitionTM, at Scotiabank Place on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., ET, and for the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL® All-Star Game, at Scotiabank Place on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m., ET. Live television coverage of both events will be provided by CBC and RDS in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States.

Fans in the Ottawa area are encouraged to take part in the festivities at the Scotiabank NHL Fan Fair™, a three-day fan festival at the Ottawa Convention Centre, Jan. 26-28.

For the latest NHL All-Star news and exclusive content, visit NHL.com and its dedicated microsite for the 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend, NHL.com/allstar. Follow the NHL on Twitter (@NHL) and on Facebook ( Facebook.com/NHL).